Hitit, one of the leading airline and travel IT solution providers in the world, and the Turkish Table Tennis Federation has taken the Rackets Up social responsibility project to Trabzon. Inaugurated in the Corum Province in 2018 and continued in the Isparta Province in the same year; 20,000 children have been given table tennis equipment and professional training thanks to Rackets Up. Rackets Up is a social responsibility project for children aged between 6 to 15 years of age, aimed at supporting their life skills through sports.
Following the Corum and Isparta programs, Hitit took its social responsibility project, Rackets Up, to Trabzon. The “Rackets Up” project established with the Turkish Table Tennis Federation (TTTF) aims to bring children and young people together, to instill in them the good practice of doing sports regularly and pursuing a healthy lifestyle, through playing table tennis.
Firstly, table tennis equipment is provided to the schools that need it across the province, under the scope of the project. Then, the students’ training begins, with the teachers who have completed a professional training course provided by the Turkish Table Tennis Federation. Table tennis is a sport that supports the intellectual and physical development of children, one of the objectives is to discover and support young talents who will represent our country in this activity. Started in 2018, Rackets Up has been utilized by more than 20,000 children from 55 schools in Corum and 41 schools in Isparta.
The goal in Trabzon is to reach 10,000 children
77 schools in Trabzon do not have table tennis equipment, they will be provided with ping-pong tables and materials under the scope of the Rackets Up project. Combining equipment support with a professional training program, Rackets Up has begun to offer the 1st Level Coaching Classes to 77 teachers in Trabzon. Having completed their training and obtained their certificates, the teachers will be able to train the children professionally.
The launch of the project in Trabzon took place in Trabzon Besirli Multi-Purpose Sports Hall on Thursday, October 24, 2019. The event was attended by the Governor of Trabzon Ismail Ustaoglu, Deputy Governor of Trabzon Bunyamin Yildiz, Provincial Branch Director of Ministry of National Education Mesut Kas, Provincial Director of Ministry of Youth and Sports Birdal Ozturk, provincial protocol members, Hitit and TTTF representatives, project stakeholders, as well as teachers and students from the project schools. It was a highly rewarding experience for all participants.
Expressing his gratitude for the realization of such a mindful project in Trabzon, a province that is known to appreciate sport, Governor of Trabzon Ismail Ustaoglu said: “Cultural and sports events are as important as education for success. We are very happy that Hitit, as a domestic company contributes to society, and especially our children with such a great project. I believe this meaningful project will provide enormous benefits in Trabzon, where all aspects of sports are embraced with huge passion, and I’d like to thank all who contributed”.
Rackets Up will move into other provinces
Confirming that the project will be rapidly rolled in other provinces, Hitit Chief Financial Executive Sezer Özmutlu said: “As the first travel technology provider in Turkey who has been exporting airline software systems around the world for 25 years, we attach great significance to fulfilling our responsibilities regarding the development of society. Pursuant to our social responsibility perspective as a company, we prioritize children and we want to give them access to sports. So far with Rackets Up, we’ve introduced about 20,000 children in Corum and Isparta to table tennis. Having taken the first step in 2018, we are now in Trabzon with “Rackets Up”. Today we are aiming to reach a further 10,000 children from 77 schools in Trabzon with our project. We believe this project will continue in Turkey and abroad for many years through this wonderful collaboration with the Turkish Table Tennis Federation.
Member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Table Tennis Federation, Dr. Savas Ertufan said, “As one of only a few sports that can be pursued for a lifetime, table tennis has major benefits for health. As a federation, we attach great significance to popularizing table tennis in schools and beyond. We believe this creates happy communities, healthier generations, and that elite athletes will rise. The Rackets Up project provides an opportunity for thousands of students who have not had the opportunity to play table tennis before. We will do our part for this fantastic project to be maintained here in Turkey and abroad. As TTTF, we would like to thank Hitit, who is the owner of this important project and to the Trabzon Provincial Directors of Ministries of National Education and Youth and Sports for their support and cooperation”.